Dean courts voters in Chicago

Lieberman also addresses union

August 27, 2003|By John McCormick, Tribune staff reporter.

It was as illegible as you'd expect from a doctor's signature, but Kyle Beasley beamed nonetheless as he walked away from a Howard Dean rally Tuesday in Chicago, clutching the autograph he had sought for a Time magazine cover that recently carried the image of the man he hopes will be the next president.

Beasley, 20, had driven four hours from the small town of Reelsville, Ind., to see Dean and get the autograph. The computer science student is old enough to vote, but his mother wouldn't let him travel to the city alone, so his Republican grandmother joined him.

"He stands for what I believe in and he's got people my age inspired to vote again," Beasley said. "I log onto his Web site every day."

Part politician and seemingly part pop star, Dr. Howard Dean brought his road show to Chicago on Tuesday to speak to a labor convention and hold a rooftop rally above Navy Pier with several hundred supporters and an international media corps in tow.

It was one of the final stops in a four-day, 10-city tour that the former Vermont governor hopes will establish that he has a growing nationwide network strong enough to provide the time, talent and treasure needed to win his party's nomination.

Dean has stirred up the Democratic primary race, rising from footnote to top-tier candidate after raising $7.6 million in the second quarter, more than any other Democratic candidate. Several of his rallies in recent days have attracted thousands of people.

Dean's campaign said late Tuesday that it expects to reach its goal of raising $1 million during its "Sleepless Summer" campaign tour.

In Chicago, where a hot sun beat down on Dean supporters standing on a terrace overlooking the downtown skyline, activists wore his T-shirts and shouted "We're hot for Dean" as they awaited the candidate.

Some brought their personal laptops to help register new supporters to be added to Dean's database of online supporters, a group he believes will help him bring 3 million new voters into the fold.

In a show of his growing political strength, Dean's campaign said it plans to launch $1 million worth of television ads Friday in six early voting states: Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin. All six states hold contests after the Iowa caucuses Jan. 19 and the New Hampshire primary Jan. 27.

Capitalizing on the buzz surrounding the Dean effort, his campaign said Tuesday it expects to raise more than $10 million in the quarter that ends Sept. 30.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut received a friendly but less vocal reception than the four other Democratic presidential hopefuls who appeared ahead of him at the national convention of the Communications Workers of America on Navy Pier.

Dean spoke Tuesday morning, while Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts spoke to the telecommunications and media workers Monday.

Lieberman, a former vice presidential candidate, spoke of the importance of labor unions and said he would model his presidency after the Clinton-Gore administration.

"They understood that we can't rely on the old answers from our party or our country's past," he said. "We badly need a more innovative and ideological approach from the government in Washington. We need a president who understands how to rev up the great engine of American innovation."

Later speaking to reporters, Lieberman made a point to distinguish himself from Dean and his political stands, including Dean's opposition to the war in Iraq.

"I disagree with Howard Dean on his vision of America's foreign policy and economic policy. I respect his deeply held views against the war against Saddam, but I disagreed with him. I respect his deeply held views that all of the Bush tax cuts should be repealed, but that means taxes will rise on the middle class."